Notable: UNLV successfully appealed NCAA sanctions for a sub-par Academic Progress Rate score and is eligible for postseason play … Last year’s bowl appearance was the Rebels’ first since 2000 and only the fourth in their history … Former Albuquerque Dukes play-by-play announcer Russ Langer enters his third year in that capacity at UNLV.

Quotable: “I don’t want to disparage those early teams. We had a lot of really good guys in the locker room. But the team we have now looks the part. It has the ability to compete with anyone we play. That’s exciting.” – Hauck, to the Las Vegas Review-Journal

Outlook: Hauck, thanks to a supportive administration, has stayed ahead of the posse long enough to post the Rebels’ first winning record since 2000. But some pretty good coaches, including former USC and Los Angeles Rams coach John Robinson, have tried to win consistently in Vegas and failed. Hauck must replace running back Tim Cornett and quarterback Caleb Herring, who accounted for about 75 percent of the team’s offense in 2013. The Rebels ranked 94th nationally in scoring defense last year at 31.8 points per game, which was good enough for sixth in the touchdown-happy Mountain West.

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